Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 1–The last of the three Spy Coast Farm Young Sporthorse Shows offering $30,000 in prize money at the 2011 Winter Equestrian Festival is scheduled for Mar. 22, with several dressage and jumper prospects already qualified for the final in Wellington in December.

The most successful horse in the five-year-old dressage classes has been Don Joseph by Don Kennedy out of Calmera by Santander, owned by Gaye Scarpa of Wellington and trained and ridden by Ilse Schwarz, a U.S.-based Australian. Don Joseph has won every class entered in the first two competitions in both dressage and suitability under saddle.

Gaye Scarpa bought Calmera at the Oldenburg Elite Auction in Vechta, Germany, and Don Kennedy is the third foal since then, all of which have been rated premium. Don Kennedy has been trained by Ilse Schwarz since being imported a year ago.

The most successful four-year-old dressage horse has been Duesenberg by Don Schufro out of a Sandro Hit mare owned and ridden by Jane Cleveland of Nashville, qualifying for both the dressage test and suitability under saddle.

The U.S.-bred Arrick Harper by Argentinus out of Hearts Afire by Harper and owned by breeder Judy Yancey of Ocala, Florida, also trained and ridden by Ilse Schwarz, has qualified for the four-year-old finals in both dressage and suitability under saddle.

The Spy Coast Farm Young Sporthorse series, Gaye Scarpa said of the competitions at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, has been “a wonderful opportunity to be able to expose a young horse to a show atmosphere and see how he measures up to the standard.”

“I am thrilled and grateful to Spy Coast Farm for bringing this to Wellington. This could be the beginning of a breeder’s showcase that would bring buyers and sellers to our area. Another layer to be added to the equestrian venue would be great for Wellington.”

Spy Coast Farm is one of America’s premier sport horse breeding and competition stables.

Among the features of the shows have been low entry fees, substantial prize money and world class footing.

Judges have been brought from around the country to assess horses for Suitability in Hand, Suitability for Sport, Jump Chute, Under Saddle and Schooling Dressage classes for horses aged from yearlings to five years.

The shows are organized by Equestrian Sport Productions in cooperation with the North American Studbook.

The start lists for the competitions give prices of horses for sale while the program lists breeding stallions of farms participating in the series.

Lisa Lourie, who with her husband, Robert, owns Spy Coast and is also a board member of the North American Studbook which originally proposed the idea for the series, said: “We are basically trying to create a template for Young Horse Shows where the standards are quite clearly set so that we are not over facing these horses.

“The emphasis is on style and technique more than it is the competition to win. It is the intention of this Young Horse Show to provide young horses a suitable environment to begin their first steps toward a competitive career without the pressures of the show circuit.”

Jean Yves Tola, executive director of the North American Studbook, said that plans are underway to schedule Young Sporthorse qualifying competitions in Lexington, Kentucky, a fourth show in Wellington in December and possibly other locations before the final at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington in December.

Complete results of the first two competitions are available by clicking here